Thursday, March 24, 2011

An Affair to Remember!

I'm having an affair! Yep: you heard it here first (well, I did announce it to my knitting group yesterday, but now that it's in print, I think it is truly official)! And, yes, I have shared my sordid and shameful secret with C...and even with Barker!

My partner in bliss is none other than this man: Wallace Stegner! He is my constant companion, except when I need quiet so that I can concentrate - and then he is good about the silence I require. My Wallace is a fabulous conversationalist, he never argues, he paints the most beautiful pictures with words, and he writes a mean story! My friend and mentor Jan Myers Newbury recommended his book, "Angle of Repose", to me, and I am almost spellbound by it. Stegner was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for this novel in 1971, and I can understand why. He is a new author to me, and in my naivety I was afraid that he might have written only this one novel, but I am so relieved to learn that he has penned many more works, which will keep me company over the next few months. Ah: bliss!

Do you know my man? Have you read any of his books? Do you love him as I do?

5 comments:

I definitely know your man! Wallace Stegner has been a favorite of mine for decades. I've read Angle of Repose countless times -- one of the very best novels ever. I've read most of his books. Some of the images he creates in Wolf Willow, his memoir of growing up in Saskatchewan are etched in my memory and return periodically. And his bio, by Jackson Benson, is not to be missed. So glad you found him, and glad to hear Jan turned you on to him. Give her a big hug for me next time you connect with her!

Angle of Repose is on my top five list and I read it about 20 years ago, I guess. But here's the kicker: Wallace and his wife were friends with John Gabbert's sister and her husband. They were neighbors in summer New England living. Another small world experience...

One of my favorite writers. I have read many of his books, including Angle of Repose, which I loved. He writes so well about the West. His descriptions are of the West I know and love, especially the dams and the rivers of Idaho where I grew up. Other favorites of his books, for me, were All the Little Live Things and Crossing to Safety.